Zander Isdal
Zander Isdal (ザンダー イスダル, Zandaa Isudaru) is a mage and guitar player within the independent guild, Wings of Archadia. Out of the others within the band, Zander's history is the most mysterious, offering little to no clues about his past. He specializes in Fire Magic, summoning a blue flame which he has described as burning hotter than all others. This has earned him the alias Cobalt Flame (コバルト炎, Kobaruto-en). Prior to joining Wings of Archadia, Zander hailed from the Kingdom of Bellum, where he served as Sheriff of the Blue Flame within the city of Rixa, under his father, Darius Achaemenes Isdal, the city's current ruler. Though past transgressions between him and his family have forced Zander to abandon his duties and city, leading him to Ilmarinen and becoming lead guitarist for Wings of Archadia. Aside from his role in the band, he also partially works at Stocks Pub as a bouncer. Though considering his level of power and impressive abilities, few would ever force him to act. He is the younger brother of Crow Freyr, who's real name is Xerxes Isdal and is known as the Fury within The Dreadnaughts, as well as the older brother of Zabel, Xero, Zane and one other younger brother. Appearance In terms of height and build, Zander is a tall man with a muscular physique. Though his most noticeable features are his vibrant red eyes, matching his forward swept hair that drapes over the one side of his face. His eyes have been described as mesmorizing, and combined with his good looks, make him quite popular among the ladies. His female fans have depicted him as being the most handsome of the band. His attire consists mainly a red or white button down shirts under a black blazer that he keeps buttoned. The shirts collar and cuffs normally stick out from under the blazer. He wears either red of white slacks, depending on the under shirt he has on at the time, and white shoes. As with the rest of the band, Zander has the Wings of Archadia symbol tattooed on his body in black, and his is located on his right forearm, with the wings wrapping partially around it and coming up his elbow. Zander also enjoys accessorizing his outfits with a choker, black necklace that hangs over his half exposed chest and gold ring on his left middle finger. His guitar is a Schecter C1 Hellraiser. Personality Its difficult to know what goes on in the mind of Zander since he rarely speaks or engages in social activities. Even with his own band members, he comes off as being cold and dismissive towards any attempt to speak to him, and prefers to keep to himself. His dialogue is usually short and to the point, and tends to carry an arrogant tone to it. He seemingly gets irritated when people are playing around or in any sort of festive manner, and shrugs them off. Zander is described as the "bad boy" of the band, equally cold towards his band mates and fans, alike. Despite that tough exterior, Zander has shown some form of concern towards his group, as when Johan appeared and attacked Royce, and saving him later on when he was attacked again and kidnapped. The only times he seems to show any emotion is when conjuring his blue flames. His band remarks that its the only time when Zander is seen smiling and even during that time, his smile seems more like a maniacal grin. He greatly enjoys using his magic because it helps release his own personal torment. Its as if the blue flames were a manifestation of his saddness and releasing it is a form of therapy. During this time, he also becomes quite ruthless and desires inflicting as much pain on his opponents as possible. This often causes a rift with the band because they do not actively want to hurt others unless absolutely necessary. Zander views that as a weakness and refuses to fall into the trap of showing mercy to those who would otherwise not. Overall, Zander is a man who does things his own way and will show hostility towards anyone who blocks his path. While appearing apathetic, Zander does have personal interests: such as his music and his magic. He's an extraordinary guitar player, capable of grouping musical notes in such a way that it resonates with the audience. When he plays, its like the music is being written from his soul and performs rather passionate guitar solos. But even then, he keeps a rather stoic expression. History Little is known of Zander's past prior to him joining Wings of Archadia. What is know is that he arrived during the time when Johan Hellstrom was still part of the band and witnessed the fight between Royce and himself. Also, at one point, Zander and Allastr Grimmgold were involved in some sort of confrontation that resulted in Allastr gaining two large scars near his neck. The reason for this altercation is still unknown as the band prefers not to discuss it. Plot *001. From The Top Of The World *002. Journey to Magnolia *004. Breaking up the Band *005. Follow the Leader *006. Dark Days Coming *007. A World Without Music Magic & Abilities Zander, like Royce, is a mage specializing in close quarters combat and is gifted with much higher levels of physical prowess than many other mages. His style of fighting is considered aggressive, combining both strength and speed into his attacks. With his Blue Fire Magic, he's able to increase the damage dealt from these attacks, while also granting him ranged spells to strike opponents from a distance. While he possesses a much wider range of attack, he lacks defensive spells and the same level of durability as Royce. Physical Abilities Enhanced Strength: '''While not as strong as Royce, Zander still possesses impressive physical power. He is able to lift a full-grown man by the throat and throw him over his shoulder a few yards away with relative ease. His kicks are also capable of knocking back opponents or sending them into walls. Opponents have been known to have great difficulty in breaking Zander's hold on them once he wraps he hands around their throats. His strength also extends to his legs and allows him to leap great distances in all directions. From a standing position, Zander can leap over a two story wall or dig his fingers through solid granite while swiping. This makes him a particularly lethal mage in regards to hand-to-hand combat. '''Enhanced Agility: Zander's style of combat combines physical power and great agility. This allows him to out maneuver his opponents and leap over great distances to avoid incoming attacks. His enhanced agility also allows to continuously press his opponents and is usually seen getting in very close with his lethal close quarter combat skills. While appearing wild and animalistic, he remains quite focused in battles and slides into an opponent's attack while simultaneously evading them and can easily leap over opponents to deliver a strike from above or behind. He's well versed in acrobatic maneuvers such as flips and jumps that put him on the same level as expert gymnasts. Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: '''Second only to Royce within the guild, Zander is an incredibly talented fighter who blends wide sweeping hand strikes and powerful kicks to crush his opponents. His style of fighting has been mainly described as brutal and even animalistic, using his hands like claws to slash his opponents. He's also known to be quite aggressive, prefering to get in close to his opponents to give them little room to maneuver and counter attack. Regardless of attacking with either an open or closed hand, Zander favors wide sweeping motions that hold tremendous power behind them that can easily knock opponents back or down to the ground. He's also shown to be equally strong with kicks, striking with either the heel or front of his foot depending on the movement. Like Royce and Roffe, Zander prefers to blend most of his magical spells with his fighting style, making him an excellent combat mage. Aside from his punches and kicks, Zander also uses some grappling techniques, more commonly moves that involve grabbing an opponent by the throat and lifting them off their feet. Another interesting aspect of his fighting style is that Zander often dips very low when approaching targets, easily able to duck under projectiles or other attacks. When doing this, it almost appears as though he's sliding on the ground like a snake and coming up when he's close enough for a strike. Regardless of which approach he uses and the rather violent nature of his attacks, Zander remains nearly expressionless during battles and rarely shows signs of worry or stress. Magical Abilites '''Great Magical Power: Considered one of the top tier mages within the guild, Zander boasts a great amount of magical power with manifests itself as the same blue flames that he can produce. It appears as a large blue pyre that burns all around him and when exterting it produces of wave of pressure that can be felt over long distances. His control over his own magical power is so refined that he's able to push to flames to burn even hotter and more intense, making standing in his presence almost unbearable. When angered, Zander has shown to produce of column of flames so bright that it can light up the night sky and seen from over a mile away as a sort of beacon. Like Royce, his large reserves of magical power grant certain resistances to physical damage, helping blunt the force of incoming attacks so that he can remain unharmed. Blue Flare Magic Blue Flare (ブルー フレア, Burū Furea) is a Caster Type Magic that utilizes the element of fire, and taught to him by his father, the wielder of the Prism Flare. This is not to be confused with the blue fire associated with Rainbow Magic. Zander states that this form of blue fire magic is its "true" form and burns even hotter than regular fire magic. Because of its intensity, a mage must be quite skilled to properly use this magic or it may turn on its user. As such, Zander has spent considerable time training in wielding its power. Like regular fire magic, Blue Fire Magic revolves around the use of fire, allowing the caster to conjure, manipulate, and control the element for various purposes. Zander can choose to keep the fire flowing as a stream or turn it into solid energy that reacts in a similar fashion to explosives. But he has also displayed the ability to wield this magic as a means of binding an opponent to restrict their movements while simultaneously burning them in the process. Zander is able to conjure this element from various parts of his body and deliver it with devastating results. Typically, as with Royce, Zander more commonly uses his magic in conjunction with his melee attacks, though he possesses a far greater set of long range spells. When casting his magic, his spells take on the forms of snakes and is its overall theme. *'Rolling Fire Fangs' (動揺火牙, Dōyōhiga): 'Zander gathers large amounts of blue flames and casts them out towards a target. Once the flames touch the ground, they will immediately begin spreading outward in the form of dozens of snakes and light everything in their paths ablaze. This spell is highly effective against a single or group of opponents and is used to narrow the space they have to maneuver. When the flames are cast out from his hands, it appears almost liquid like before striking the floor and beginning to stretch out. Unless the flames are put out, either through conscious choice or through another spell cancelling it, they will continuously burn the area around them until everything has been consumed in the blue flames. *'Blue Fangs (青牙, Seiga) Conjuring a small amount of blue flames in one hand, Zander swipes upward and releases it as a projectile wave that rushes towards a target and explodes on contact. The relative ease of this spell allows Zander to cast this multiple times in quick succession without tiring and can release it by alternating hands as he swipes the air to increase the speed in between intervals. When on the ground, Azure Fang rides on the surface Zander is standing on. But when he is in the air, Zander is still capable of launching the spell as projectiles. *'Ten Fang Confinements' (十牙束縛, Jūga Sokubaku): While Zander primarily uses his Magic to cause explosive damage, he's also able to cast binding spells to trap his targets. By pointing his fingers towards a target, long tendrils of blue flame spring out and wrap around a target to ensnare them and simultaneously cause fire damage. When manifesting themselves, the tendrils appear to have the heads of snakes that bite down before they begin wrapping around their targets. With his above average strength, Zander is able to restrain his targets with relative ease, though stronger opponents require more effort. *'Flame Coat' (炎具足, Honōgusoku): A spell that allows Zander to utilize both his impressive hand-to-hand fighting ability and his powerful Magic. Generating blue flames around each arm, Zander is capable of striking his opponents and setting them ablaze to deal additional fire damage. While in this state, he is immune to the flames themselves and able to wield them harmlessly. Zander is able to maintain this form for extended periods of time, but casting multiple spells consectutively will eventually tire him and weaken the effectiveness of this particular spell. This is why he limits the number of spells he casts and primarily uses this form for close combat and to strike his opponents for additional damage. When casting this spell, the flames take on the form of snakes that wrap themselves around his arms and hands, allowing him the ability to strike with both his hands and forearms. **'Serpent FIre Banish' (蛇火追放, Hebihi Tsuihō): With his hands engulfed in flames, Zander will charge an opponent and grasp them around the neck, lifting them off the ground. He then sends a surge of blue flames that explodes and launches his opponent into the air. With its point blank range, the damage can be quite devastating and leaves an opponent unable to dodge once Zander grips them. **'Neck-Hanging Serpent Fire' (蛇火首吊り, Hebihi Kubitsuri) This spell appears to be a more powerful version of the Serpent Fire Banish spell. While holding his opponent in the air with both hands around their neck, Zander will channel his blue flames and send a powerful surge through his arms and explodes outward while simultaneously slashing downward. A particularly violent spell where Zander only uses against those he absolutely despises or has killer intent towards. *'Wicked Tongue' (毒舌, Dokuzetsu) If an opponent proves to be difficult to strike from afar, Zander is able to cast this spell to follow their movements. By summoning blue flames in one hand, he will swipe the air and release it as a spinning ring of fire that moves through the air in an erradic pattern, making it difficult to strike with another spell or projectile. This ring will continuously move by Zander's mental command or through hand gestures and follow the target until it strikes them, exploding in a small fireball. **'Blue Fang Bullet' (青牙弾, Seigadan) A variation of the Wicked Tongue spell in which Zander combines footwork with this spell. Instead of casting the spell as a spinning projectile that moves erradically, Zander will now spin his body and kick the trail of flames coming off his hands during the motion. This allows him to shoot a stronger and faster projectile that flies in a straight line towards his intended target and explode on contact. This spell also momentarily stuns the target, allowing for Zander to come in with another attack or spell. **'Snake Fang Strike' (蛇牙殴打, Hebiga Ōda) Another variation of the Serpentine Fire spell where Zander spins his body and creates a thick trail of blue flames that engulfs a close target to stun them. Zander then raises his leg quickly through the flames and casts a powerful burst of fire to send the target into the air with explosive force. Being struck with both portions of this spell can deal tremendous damage and often leave his opponents momentarily stunned, as well. *'Scorching Fang Cannon' (灼熱牙砲, Shakunetsuga Hō):' Similar to Fire Bullet but larger in scale, Zander first holds out both arms with his hands positioned diagonally opposite from one another. Within the space between both hands, Zander will conjur blue flames that swirl into a large sphere floating directly in front of him. Once sufficiently charged, he will then unleash the attack as a long stream of blue flames that can deal great deal of damage, while simultaneously burning his target. This spell is quite powerful and only takes a few moments to prepare, making it quite effective to use at any moment during battles. Zander is also able to maintain the stream of fire through concentration and constantly pouring more of his magical power to strengthen its effect. When it's first unleashed, the flames appear as a large snake's head with the rest of the body being the stream. Just as it is about to strike a target, the head will bite down on the target, completely engulfing them in flames before exploding as the stream surges past them. Given its size and shape, Zander can use this spell against multiple targets that are positioned in a straight line. Advanced Spells *'Rise of the Great Hell Serpent (大地獄の蛇上昇, Dai Jigoku no Hebi Jōshō): A powerful spell in which Zander summons a massive snake made entirely of blue flames. By placing his hand in front of his mouth, he breathes into the palm as a large pyre of blue flames build into gigantic proportions. The flames slowly take shape to that of a massive king cobra snake that wraps circles Zander, protecting him from harm. The sheer size of the snake can rival small buildings and possesses enornmous strength. He commands the snake with hand gestures and usually strikes down on his opponents with its head to crush them or snaps at them with its enormous mouth and fangs, all while dealing tremendous fire damage. He's able to stand on it without harm and use it as a means of transportation, or to direct it to attack his targets. Aside from dealing great crushing damage, the snake can also wrap itself around a target and detonate, causing a massive explosion that shakes the surrounding area. Because it requires a large amount of magical power, Zander can only maintain this spell for several minutes before finally dispersing it or setting up a final attack. *'Twin Fang Cremation' (双牙火葬, Sōga Kasō) A spell that sacrifices all defense and focusing entirely on increasing Zander's attack power. Firstly, Zander holds his hands out to the side and begins channeling his magical power into the palms, causing his entire body to flare up in blue flames as he pushes his powers to the limit. As the flames build in his hands, they will swirl and form into blazzing orbs, and Zander will slowly raise his hands to position himself for the attack. With his hands overhead and energy sufficiently gathered, Zander will then step forward, often crushing the ground underneath his foot from the force. He will then swipe his hands towards his target and release the energy with explosive force. The energy travels through the air at blazing speeds parallel to one another, forming into long spikes of blue fire as they move. The sheer power it releases destroy the ground as they move, even though they do not make contact as they travel. Once they hit their intended targets, they explode into a massive brilliant ball of blue flames that completely incinerate everything within the blast radius. When the flames and smoke have disappeared, a huge crater is revealed, further showing the destruction Zander's spell is capable of inflicting. Stats Zanders's statistics are listed to the left. These statistics are a close approximation of his baseline abilities. They do not reflect his full potential, and may vary during moments of stress or determination. As such, they are not to be taken as definitive stats, but merely as an overall indication of his level of power. His statistics are broken down to: Offense, Defense, Speed and Intelligence, with a fifth statistic specific to his character which is Hotness. Trivia *Zander's appearance and powers are modeled from Iori Yagami from King of Fighters. *His theme song is Ultra by KMFDM. *Zander works as the bouncer at Stocks Pub. Category:Fire Magic User Category:Fire Magic